Blog #10

Ingredients

• 1 quart fresh milk, for a thicker product substitute 1 pint fresh cream and 1 pint fresh milk (see sources)
• 2 tablespoons Bulgarian or Greek starter (see sources) OR
• 2 tablespoons yogurt from a previous batch OR
• 2 tablespoons plain, unsweetened, additive-free yogurt with live active cultures found at any grocery store

Equipment

• yogurt maker OR
• slow cooker or cooler and a 1-quart mason jar with lid OR
• food dehydrator (see sources) and a 1-quart mason jar
• thermometer, optional but advisable

Method

1. Heat milk in a saucepan over a medium-low flame until it reaches about 110° Fahrenheit / 43º Celsius.
2. Remove from heat and whisk in 2 tablespoons thermophilic starter culture such as Bulgarian or Greek starter (seesources), or use two tablespoons yogurt from a previous batch to inoculate the raw milk.
3. If you’re using a yogurt maker, simply pour the mixture of fresh milk and starter into the yogurt maker and culture it according to the manufacturer’s  instructions for about eight to twelve hours.
4. If you’re using a food dehydrator or slow cooker, first pour the mixture of starter and raw milk into a 1-quart glass mason jar and cover it with a lid.
5. If you’re using a slow cooker or cooler, place the mason jar full of milk and starter in the center of your slow cooker or cooler and pour  warm water (approximately 110° Fahrenheit, 43º Celsius) into your the ceramic insert or  until it reaches just below the lid of your mason jar.  Cover with a warm towel for added insulation and leave in a warm spot in your kitchen to culture for eight to twelve hours.
6. If you’re using a food dehydrator, simply place the mason jar full of starter culture and milk into the food dehydrator, set the temperature to 110° Fahrenheit / 43º Celsius and allow it to culture for eight to twelve hours.
7. Once the culturing period of eight to twelve hours is complete, remove your still warm raw milk yogurt from the yogurt maker, slow cooker, cooler or dehydrator and place it in the refrigerator to chill and solidify for an hour or two.
8. Serve plain as a sauce, combined with fresh fruit or nuts or sweeten it, if desired, with a touch of honey or maple syrup.

NOTES: Raw milk yogurt has a tendency to be runny; this is normal and is caused by the action of temperature-sensitive enzymes present in raw milk that would otherwise be killed by heat.  If liquid-like consistency is unappealing to you, consider substituting part of the milk for fresh cream or straining the yogurt through a fine butter muslin available from most cheesemaking suppliers (see sources).

Furthermore, due the natural presence of beneficial bacteria in raw milk which are likely to eventually out-populate the strains in your desired  starter, your yogurt starter will degrade over time.  For this reason, it is necessary to maintain a pure seed starter or to be mindful of the desired quality of your yogurt and to purchase new starters to periodically refresh your old starter.  This is generally not necessary when making yogurt from boiled milk.

YIELD: one quart, approximately eight servings

TIME:  10 minutes (preparation) and 8 to 12 hours (culturing)

Fermentation helps make the food by fermenting milk sugar or lactose with bacterias , Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus, to lactic acid, causing the curd to form. The acid also restricts the growth of food poisoning bacteria. During the process of fermentation, the flavors of the yogurt is produced, giving it a sour taste.